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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24901606">This is heaven in hiding</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/narcissablaxk/pseuds/narcissablaxk'>narcissablaxk</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Now or Never [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Cobra Kai (Web Series), Karate Kid (Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Fluff, Follow up to It's 3 a.m., M/M, Redemption, lawrusso</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 02:41:21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,765</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24901606</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/narcissablaxk/pseuds/narcissablaxk</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em>Sittin' on the counter in your kitchen, can you hear my heartbeat fucking kickin'? Your eyes light up 'cause you best believe that I got something up my sleeve. I walk my talk, no time for wishful thinking. </em>
</p><p>The morning after. A sequel to "It's 3 a.m."</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Daniel LaRusso/Johnny Lawrence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Now or Never [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1772686</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>190</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>This is heaven in hiding</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Daniel’s internal alarm woke him at 7 a.m. He made the mistake of turning to the left, which would have saved him from opening his eyes into the morning sun, but he wasn’t in his room, he was in Johnny’s, so turning to the left almost toppled him off the bed. Luckily, Johnny’s arm was still around his waist, and at his ill-conceived movement, Johnny just tightened his hold and brought Daniel farther onto the bed, moved with such ease Daniel was, momentarily, impressed. </p><p>And then he remembered that Johnny had been drunk, insanely drunk, the night before. What was the possibility that he’d forgotten everything that happened? His mind, always too active and probably paranoid, immediately laid out for him five different scenarios, all messier and more confrontational than the last. </p><p>“Go back to sleep, Dan,” Johnny mumbled against his neck, and Daniel went tense. What – <em>what</em> did he just call him? </p><p>But Johnny’s hold was too tight for him to extricate himself (seriously, how strong <em>was</em> he?) so he could do nothing but squirm gracelessly until he was facing Johnny, who still had his eyes stubbornly closed, but a faint smile on his face, like he knew exactly what was happening on the other side of his eyelids.</p><p>Still, Daniel allowed himself a moment to admire him, shadows falling over the scruff on his sharp jaw, his long eyelashes, the golden hair that got lighter as it grew, the faint outline of his collarbone that he could see where the shirt dipped a little low – </p><p>“Take a picture,” Johnny mumbled, and he was definitely smiling now, his eyes closed. “Or go the fuck back to sleep.” </p><p>“I have to get home before my kids wake up,” Daniel murmured, and he really wanted to run his fingers through Johnny’s hair, but was that something he could do now? He didn’t know, so he tensed his hand and kept it still, resting where it was on Johnny’s side. </p><p>“What’s wrong with you?” Johnny cracked one eye, startlingly blue in the little bit of light that was streaming through the broken blinds. “You’re so tense.” </p><p>He surveyed Daniel with his one open eye, his brow furrowing the more he looked at him, and Daniel wanted to ask him what he was seeing, what was troubling him so much, but he couldn’t find the words. His inspection finished, Johnny withdrew his hands, opening his other eye to see Daniel better. </p><p>“Look, you can leave and forget this ever happened,” Johnny said, already in the middle of rolling over so he didn’t have to look at him anymore. “I won’t tell.” </p><p>Daniel sat up, the sheet that had somehow been drawn up to his neck during the night falling down to his waist. “Is that what you want?” </p><p>Johnny didn’t turn back to him, but shifted slightly under the sheet, and Daniel took that as a sigh. But of annoyance or resignation, he wasn’t sure. Still, he didn’t move. He supposed he didn’t move because he was stubborn, but something else told him to be patient. Instead, he slid back into the sheets and stared at the ceiling, waiting Johnny out. </p><p>He didn’t want to tell Johnny that he was tense because he didn’t know how much he remembered from the night before, and he wanted even less to tell him that he wanted to touch him, to kiss him, to relive at least one sweet moment from the night before while Johnny was sober. What if Johnny had forgotten all of that? What if it was all some drunken slip up, or something, and he was just going to pretend it never happened? </p><p>“What are you doing?” Johnny’s voice was gruff, but Daniel still exhaled in relief.</p><p>“I don’t know yet,” he replied honestly. “I’m trying to figure it out.”</p><p>Johnny, with a groan, rolled back over to face him. “Just go home, LaRusso, it’s fine.” </p><p>Daniel narrowed his eyes at him. “Are you still going to come by for lunch? To see Robby?” </p><p>Johnny propped himself up on one elbow. “Is that still – is that still on the table?” </p><p>Daniel laughed, out of sheer relief, and covered his face with his hands. “Oh my god, <em>Jesus Christ</em> –”</p><p>“What?” </p><p>“Are you one of those drunks that remembers everything, no matter how drunk you get?” Daniel asked. “Because –”</p><p>“You thought I <em>forgot</em>?!” </p><p>“Well, frankly, it’s really hard to figure out what you’re thinking at seven in the morning after getting very little sleep the night before,” Daniel grumbled, trying to look anywhere but Johnny’s bright grin on the other side of the bed. “Aren’t you supposed to be hungover or something?” </p><p>“Yeah, my head is killing me,” Johnny replied, waving him off. “But I’m ignoring it to make fun of you.” </p><p>“Do you want aspirin?” </p><p>“I just said I was making fun of you right now,” Johnny insisted. “Don’t distract me.” </p><p>“Oh my god,” Daniel yanked at the sheet, covering his face with it. He could feel the blush rising on his cheeks, both from the awkward conversation and Johnny’s face, handsome and soft in the morning light, grinning at him like he never had before. </p><p>And then Johnny was under the sheet with him, reaching for him the way he had the night before, pulling him closer, back into his space, his hands slipping underneath Daniel’s sweater to bare skin, his hands rough and still somehow gentle. Daniel let him, the warmth still blazing in his cheeks. Johnny surveyed his face, blue eyes taking in every angle, his mischievous smile fading away to something more thoughtful.</p><p>“You told me to do this sober,” he said, one of his hands lingering around Daniel’s ribs, fingertips just barely pressing into the skin, his other propping himself up so he was looking down at Daniel. “But that was last night –”</p><p>“Do it,” Daniel breathed, reaching a hand up to brush it through Johnny’s hair, the temptation finally too much to ignore, pulling the sheet down and exposing them both to the early morning sun. </p><p>Johnny leaned in, close, impossibly close, his eyes still open, still trying to take in every detail of Daniel’s face, even while their noses were touching. But he didn’t close the distance. Daniel waited, unmoving, trying to be patient. He could feel his breath on his cheek, tantalizing but ghostly, his hand on his ribs so light suddenly they were almost tickling. As the seconds ticked past, he grew impatient. He huffed, and Johnny pulled back, eyes bright. </p><p>“Gotta brush my teeth first,” he said, pulling himself up to a sitting position, his hand that wasn’t on Daniel rising to cup the side of his own head. </p><p>“I’m going to get you aspirin,” Daniel said, getting up and offering Johnny his hand. </p><p>“There isn’t aspirin in this apartment,” Johnny pointed out, ignoring Daniel’s hand and getting up of his own accord. </p><p>Daniel shrugged. “There’s a bottle of it in my car.” </p><p>“Princess,” Johnny muttered, padding down the hall to the bathroom, where Daniel could hear running water before he shut the front door and walked back out to his car. </p><p>The sun was still soft, half-covered by the clouds above, the chill from last night almost chased off, but it felt like a beautiful morning to Daniel. He unlocked his car and popped open the glove compartment, his hand immediately finding the little travel bottle of aspirin that he kept in there as an emergency for Sam. </p><p>“Mr. LaRusso?” </p><p>He jumped, almost slamming his head on the top of the passenger side door of his car, his eyes rising to find Miguel Diaz looking at him through the windshield, dressed in a pair of shorts and a tank top, clearly about to go on a run.</p><p>“Miguel,” Daniel replied awkwardly, gently closing the car door. </p><p>“What are you – <em>oh</em>,” Miguel looked from Daniel, in his sleep pants and no shoes, to Johnny’s door and back, his eyes going wide before he closed them, trying to hide his grin. “Gotcha.” </p><p>Daniel opened and closed his mouth, trying to find a way to tell Miguel no, it’s not what you think without lying because technically, it was kind of what he thought, wasn’t it? He settled on saying nothing at all, but opening and reclosing the Audi doors, since his weak attempt at closing it before hadn’t worked. </p><p>“Tell Sensei I said he’s the man,” Miguel said, plugging in one of his earbuds. </p><p>“I will <em>not</em> do that,” Daniel replied. </p><p>Miguel laughed and plugged in the other earbud, jogging down to the parking lot and taking a right, out of Daniel’s eyeline. He watched him go, the aspirin bottle in his hand, his keys in the other, and sighed. </p><p>***</p><p>Johnny was waiting for Daniel in the kitchen when he came back inside. </p><p>“Did you forget where you parked your car or something?” he asked, his eyes on the coffee maker in front of him, measuring out the scoops of coffee grounds. He didn’t drink coffee that often, but he heard that coffee helped with hangovers or something, and he was determined to see Robby for lunch, and he would not be hungover for that. “You took forever.” </p><p>“Miguel Diaz would like for me to tell you that you are, quote, <em>the man</em>,” Daniel said, and he could hear, even though he wasn’t looking at him, that he was trying not to smile. </p><p>“Diaz is a good kid,” Johnny said, biting back his own smile. Fucking kid was too funny sometimes. “He’s not going to go tell everyone about your same sex sleepover, if that’s what you’re worried about.” </p><p>“Here,” Daniel appeared beside him, passing over his little bottle of aspirin. “Take two and drink some water before you drink coffee.” </p><p>“Yes, mom,” Johnny rolled his eyes, but took the offered aspirin and popped it into his mouth, pulling a cup out of his cabinet and filling it with tap water. He drank it all, making sure to roll his eyes at Daniel for good measure, and put the cup down on the counter. </p><p>“Now you can kiss me,” Daniel said, all matter-of-fact, and Johnny snapped his eyes to him, eyebrows raised. “In case you were still worried about permission.” </p><p>He was worried about permission, if he were honest, especially after the night before. It was embarrassing enough waking up and remembering, in waves, all of the shit he’d said to Daniel the night before, even more embarrassing when he remembered asking him (begging, his mind told him) to stay the night. But Daniel was still there, sleeping peacefully, so maybe it hadn’t been that bad? </p><p>Miguel had told him he needed to start embracing situations, so here he was, trying to swallow the embarrassment of the night before by chasing away the memory with Daniel’s skin. </p><p>Daniel met him with tenderness, so soft that Johnny wanted to shove him against the wall and force him to stop being so fucking nice, but really, it’s a comfort, the gentle press of his lips, the almost reverence he uses when he touches him. But still, Johnny presses back, harder, hungrier, and Daniel meets him with no problem, matching him, like Johnny always knew he would. </p><p>It takes only seconds before Daniel is pressed against the kitchen counter, and Johnny is considering picking him up and putting him on it, but then that would make Daniel taller than him, and he doesn’t really want to give him the higher ground, because of course he’s thinking of this like a battle, and then Daniel pushes him back, to the other side of the island, and his hands are under his shirt, nails just long enough to scratch into the skin of his hips, and Johnny grins and sinks his teeth into Daniel’s bottom lip, and he expected him to pull away, to hiss and call Johnny an asshole, but he just growls, deep in his throat, and abandons Johnny’s hips and reaches instead for the belt on his pants. </p><p>It’s fast, and it’s sweet but it’s also a fight, and it’s somehow more than what Johnny had ever imagined, and he’s imagined it often enough to remember all of their deviations from his script, but before Daniel can get past the button on Johnny’s pants the coffee pot dings, and they jump, Daniel breathing heavily, his bottom lip just barely swollen, his eyes large and dark in the still mostly dark room, and Johnny has to turn away to turn off the coffee maker, his head spinning.</p><p>“Holy <em>shit</em> –”</p><p>Johnny is glad he has his back to Daniel, because he bites his lip, trying not to grin. Daniel has mostly chased away his hangover (though he could also blame the aspirin and the water, but this feels nicer), and he feels almost giddy, the way he did when he first shoved Daniel into the sand the night they met. </p><p>That’s definitely something a therapist would fixate on, but he ignores it and pulls down two cups from the cabinet in front of him.</p><p>“Did you –” Daniel is still out of breath, and Johnny feels a flush of pride wash over him. “Did you still want to come see Robby today?” </p><p>“If that’s still something you want to do,” Johnny answered. “Cream? Sugar?” </p><p>“Yeah,” Daniel answered to both questions, moving to the fridge to take out the cream. “Should we –” he hesitated now, passing Johnny the creamer, his hair still messy, his lips still darker than usual. “Should we decide what we’re telling the kids?” </p><p>“About Robby or –?” Johnny doesn’t know what to call it, and Daniel is clearly also having trouble, because he shrugged, taking the coffee cup that Johnny held out, taking a sip. </p><p>“I think we should focus on Robby,” Daniel acknowledged, choosing his words carefully. “Not that – you know, this isn’t important –”</p><p>“Right –”</p><p>“I just didn’t want you to think I was hiding it,” Daniel interrupted, surprisingly open. </p><p>“I don’t want Robby to think I’m coming around for you instead of for him,” Johnny answered, trying to meet openness with his own. Still, it’s hard to say, so he lets his eyes fall to the kitchen tile. </p><p>Daniel nodded, he could hear the approving sound even if he couldn’t see him, and then Daniel is beside him, putting the coffee cup on the counter behind him. “Let’s take this lunch one step at a time,” he said. “If it goes well, then we can do this again,” he motioned between them, from his ruffled hair to Johnny’s undone belt. </p><p>“So you’re saying…you’re going to pay me with sexual favors if I behave,” Johnny replied, nodding thoughtfully. “You know, LaRusso, if you wanted our rivalry to end, you could have done this over thirty years ago.” </p><p>Daniel, to his credit, looks momentarily affronted before he hides it with a shrug. “I think you and I both know I don’t have to bribe you into spending time with Robby,” he said. “But I do like positive reinforcement.” </p><p>“I don’t know what that means, nerd.” </p><p>“Just meet me at my place at 1,” Daniel rolled his eyes. “I’ll text you the address.” </p><p>And then he’s pressing a kiss to the corner of Johnny’s mouth soft and sweet and momentary, and then he’s gone, out the front door without actually closing it, the little shit –</p><p>Johnny smiles in the aftermath, feeling, for the first time in a while, like he’s going to repair a burned bridge. </p><p>***</p><p>Lunch was surprising. Daniel had gotten home to find Sam, Robby, and Anthony in the kitchen, sitting around the dining table with bowls of cereal, Sam with a cup of coffee. He gave them a flimsy excuse about going out for a drive early in the morning, but all three of the kids were tired enough that they didn’t really ask, though Sam’s eyes did linger on his sleep pants for a few seconds longer than he’d like. </p><p>And then Johnny had shown up a few hours later, showered and wearing a button-down shirt Daniel had never seen him in before. Robby had been quiet for a while, eyeing his father with what Daniel recognized as reticence, and then Johnny had taught him how to shoot bottlecaps and the ice was broken, with father and son both allying themselves with each other in a battle to the death with only bottlecaps as ammunition. </p><p>They ate lunch in the dining room, Daniel trying not to think about how they used to eat by the pool in the backyard of the house he didn’t live in anymore. Instead, he found himself catching Johnny’s gaze across the table, the lines around his eyes more prominent with all the smiling he was doing. </p><p>Sam caught him in the kitchen as lunch was ending, bringing in plates for him to put in the sink. </p><p>“You did a nice thing, Dad,” she muttered, passing him the plates. “Bringing Sensei Lawrence for lunch.” </p><p>“I – who told you – I didn’t do anything,” Daniel floundered, his hand slipping on one of the fragile plates. </p><p>“Miguel texted me this morning,” she said, giving her father an appraising stare that he usually saw on Amanda. </p><p>“Sam –”</p><p>“Your secret is safe with me,” she said, zipping her lips and throwing away the key. “If whatever is going on with you two brings Robby his dad back, then keep doing it.” She paused, and then grimaced. “You know what I mean.” </p><p>He did know what she meant, but he felt his face warm all the same. </p><p>Amanda picked up all three of the children closer to dinner time, after Johnny taught Anthony how to fling bottlecaps (he was going to <em>kill him</em> for that), and she gave him the same raised eyebrow look that Sam had given him when she caught sight of Johnny, who was trying to figure out how to stand on Robby’s skateboard without falling off. </p><p>“Don’t ask,” he said as the kids ran inside to grab their bags, leaving the three adults behind. </p><p>“I don’t have to,” she said, giving Johnny a wave as Anthony barreled out of the house again, already asking Amanda if they could stop at In N Out on the way home. “Be smart,” she said, kissing him on the cheek before turning to unlock the car door for Anthony. </p><p>In just a few minutes, they were left alone again, Johnny in the kitchen, where he was anxiously rearranging the dishes on the drying rack. Daniel shut the front door, sealing the silence. </p><p>“That went well, right?” Johnny asked, a plate in his hand, even though Daniel knew it was already dry. </p><p>“It went well,” Daniel acquiesced. “Robby had a good time.”</p><p>“You could tell?” Johnny asked, and he set the plate on the counter, off the drying rack, no longer caring about the distraction. “I couldn’t tell.” </p><p>“Well he didn’t yell at you,” Daniel pointed out. “That’s usually a good sign.”</p><p>“But did he have a <em>good</em> time?” Johnny asked, his eyes pleading. “Like an actual good time?” </p><p>Here was the insecurity of the night before, rising again, Daniel could see it clearly now. It was etched into the lines of Johnny’s face, the creases in his forehead, the way his mouth turned downward the more he thought about it. He went into the living room, tilting his head for Johnny to follow, and sat on the couch, the same couch he had snuck past less than twenty-four hours before. </p><p>“He had a good time, John,” Daniel said again, taking his hands in his own. “You showed up, you surprised him, you stuck around. We didn’t fight –”</p><p>“I’m very proud of that one,” Johnny interrupted. “You’re very easy to fight with.” </p><p>Daniel rolled his eyes. “Robby just wants you to be here, and you did that. He had a good time.” </p><p>“Promise?” </p><p>“I promise,” Daniel replied. </p><p>Johnny sighed, like a heavy weight had been lifted off of him, and cast his eyes around the room. “So this is where you live now?” he asked. “Amanda got the house?” </p><p>“I let her have the house,” Daniel corrected. “I wanted something closer to Miyagi’s place.” </p><p>“You gonna give me a tour or what, LaRusso?” Johnny asked, nudging him with his shoulder. </p><p>“Is this your way of getting into my bedroom?” Daniel asked shrewdly, trying to hide his grin. </p><p>“I have no idea what you mean,” Johnny said, his blue eyes wide and guileless. “I don’t even know if your house has bedrooms, since you’ve never given me a tour.” </p><p>“Okay, shut up,” Daniel grumbled, standing up. “I thought your agreement was to behave?” </p><p>“I behaved!” Johnny protested. “I didn’t flip off your son once –”</p><p>“I’m <em>so proud</em> –”</p><p>“You should be,” Johnny said sagely. “It was very difficult. Aren’t you going to help me up, LaRusso?” </p><p>Daniel narrowed his eyes at him. “Do you need help, old man?” </p><p>Johnny shrugged, but didn’t get up. Daniel, after rolling his eyes, offered him his hand, the same way he had done that morning, when Johnny had ignored it. This time, however, he took it, and yanked Daniel back onto the couch, on top of him. </p><p>“Smooth move, Johnny,” Daniel rolled his eyes, but he was chuckling all the same, Johnny a solid weight underneath him. </p><p>“Played right into my hands, LaRusso,” Johnny said proudly, shifting on the couch so he was flat on his back with Daniel straddling him. “Since you’re not going to give me a tour, are you going to kiss me or not?” </p><p>Daniel wanted to be contrary, wanted to get up and be a little of a dick and make Johnny work for it, but in the end, he let Johnny pull him down to his level, his kiss sweet and grateful, his hands on his hips gentle. It was intoxicating, Johnny Lawrence being gentle with him, even while Daniel could feel the hard muscles of his chest and shoulders. He unbuttoned some of the buttons on Johnny’s shirt, thrilled when he found no undershirt beneath it. Johnny slipped his hand under his shirt again, all the way up his back, pulling Daniel closer – closer –</p><p>But they were too old for the couch, and Daniel’s bad knee was bad enough that their position wasn’t a lot of fun after the first few minutes. Johnny’s hand found his knee, fingers warm and probing, when Daniel winced. </p><p>“Wanna switch?” he asked, his eyes full of sincere concern that knocked Daniel reeling. </p><p>“No,” Daniel said, getting to his feet, offering Johnny his hand again. “Come on, I think it’s time for that tour.”</p>
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